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Grades 3–6

Lesson | Community Plant Detectives

PART A: INTRO

1 Ask: What plant transformations show

that a season is changing? (E.g., flowers

blooming, leaves changing color.)

2 Define phenology: the study of how

changing seasons and climate affect

the timing of plant/animal life cycles. Share

the Observe Plants Like a Scientist resource

sheet and review the oak tree phenophases.

3 Discuss: How does the weather affect

oak trees? (Spring triggers new growth;

fall triggers color change and leaf drop.)

Which plant parts do oak trees grow again

each year? (Leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds.)

How does this help survival?

4 Have students read How Do Plants

Know When to Bloom? Discuss their

responses. Emphasize that observations

of a single plant in one year will reflect the

weather. But many years of observations

can track valuable climate information.

5 Explain that community science

allows people (including students) to

share plant observations to help scientists

better understand environmental changes,

including climate change. You may sign up

to share student data at budburst.org.

PART B: PREP

6 Ask students what kinds of plants

they know about. What groups would

they put them in? (They may say things like

flowers/trees, short/tall.) Share the Meet

the Plant Groups resource sheet. As a class,

compare and contrast the plant groups,

or discuss where your students have seen

examples from each group.

OBJECTIVEStudents will understand what phenology is and how observations of plants can reveal important connections to climate change.

STANDARDSNGSS• 3-LS1-1. Develop models to

describe life cycles• 3-LS3-2. Traits are influenced by

the environment• 4-LS1-1. Internal/external

structures and plant growth• DCI: LS2.C. Biodiversity and

ecosystem health (MS-LS2-5)

CCSS ELA• RI.4 Determine word meanings • W.9 Draw evidence from

informational text

TIME 45 minutes plus additional time for fieldwork

MATERIALS PDFs• Observe Plants Like a Scientist!

resource sheet• How Do Plants Know When to

Bloom? reading passage• Meet the Plant Groups

resource sheetGoogle Docs • Figure Out the Phenophase

activity sheet• Phenophase Finder resource• Project form + rubric For remote instruction: Google Doc and PDF student guides

Get all materials at scholastic.com /budburst.

Dig into the world of phenology as students observe, draw, and write about plant life stages.

7 Prepare students for fieldwork in

Part C with this practice activity.

Direct them to the Figure Out the

Phenophase digital activity sheet, and

have them use the Phenophase Finder

resource as a reference to complete the

activity. (Answers: 1. Flower Bud Burst, 2.

50% Color, 3. Middle Fruiting [Cones], 4.

First Flower, 5. All Leaves Withered)

PART C: OBSERVE PLANTS

8 Bring students outdoors (or use

videos, photos, or indoor plants) to

choose a plant to observe and to draw

and write detailed observations. Back

indoors, have them use the Phenophase

Finder resource to determine their plant’s

group and phenophase. (To decrease the

challenge: Have students discuss in pairs

and assign them a specific plant.)

9Student Project Direct students to

complete the project form for the

Budburst Plant Trackers project, using

the rubric and Phenophase Finder digital

resource for guidance.

Community Science With BudburstEnhance your plant-focused lessons with free and engaging resources.

Engage in community science by submitting

your class’s plant observations on the

Budburst website. Classes can submit data

on any outdoor plant, anywhere. Educators can

even identify plants in the schoolyard for students

to study all year.

A project of the Chicago Botanic Garden, Budburst

offers NGSS-aligned activities designed for grades

K–12, with suggestions for implementation either

remotely or in-person. Visit the Educators page

budburst.org/activities/for-educators and Getting

Started budburst.org/getting-started to learn more.

Plant Life Cycles • Structure and Function • Ecosystems • Pollinators • Climate Change

HOW TO USEBUDBURST

Budburst Groups → Participate in a

community science

project by creating a

Budburst Group. The

COPPA-compliant

platform collects

student data via

anonymous accounts

that protect student

privacy. Great for

classes and clubs!

Using Budburst

Groups is as simple

as...

1. Create or login to

your own account

2. Create your group

and add member

accounts

3. Report your

observations

4. Explore your data

See details here:

budburst.org/

participating-in-groups

Review privacy details

here: budburst.org

/privacy-policy.

Benefits of Using Budburst• Helps students practice

close observation skills• Builds student

engagement with student choice and personalization, as students choose plants to ‘adopt’ and observe

• Provides outdoor learning opportunities

• Acts as a springboard for students to plan and conduct their own investigations

• Shows students that everyone can be part of a scientific community

• Provides a sense of purpose for collecting data to be used by scientists beyond the classroom

• Improves science literacy using real-world data

• Provides place-based climate change education

Upcoming Mobile App → In mid-March,

students will be able

to submit plant data

from anywhere via

mobile devices like

smartphones and

tablets.

Budburst Database→ Use Budburst’s

publicly available data

to help answer students’

research questions and

to compare your class’s

plant observations with

nationwide data.View

data here: budburst.

org/data-intro.

Other Projects→ Go beyond plant

phenology with

Budburst’s other

projects, including

investigating:

• What types of plants

pollinators prefer

• How pollinator activity

is influenced by

climate

• How monarch

butterflies and

milkweed plants

interact

→ Explore different

projects your class

can take part in here:

budburst.org/projects.

Professional Development for Educators→ Dig deeper into

community science

with the Citizen

Science Academy.

Learn about:

• Community/citizen

science as a field

• How to use these

programs effectively

• How to create

compelling activities

and opportunities

to engage with the

natural world

→ Find out more:

chicagobotanic.org

/education/citizen_

science_academy